Maid's Dress
by Eroskigal
Summary: In Russia, when a girl graduates, she has the option of wearing a maid's outfit to the ceremony. Natalya was perfectly content with just wearing her uniform, although she knew it was a lie. A scary girl like her has no business wearing something cute. Or so she thought. With the school year coming to a close, she may find just what she needs to let her confidence show. Gakuen!AU
кіраўнік адзін: ясна выбар

Chapter 1: A Clear Choice

The cold wind blew through the marketplace, accompanying the icicles hanging from stores and buildings. The little girl shivered, clutching onto the warm scarf that had been given to her. Once the wind had passed, she opened her eyes once again. Russia did get pretty cold, especially around this time of year. "Where do you want to go next, Natalya?"

The little girl looked up at the one who had spoken. Her older sister Katushya, a Highschooler, looked down at her, kindly. Next to her, there was her older brother Ivan, whom she had grown attached to. The three of them were currently out shopping, spending the day together in celebration of Katushya's raise. "I-I guess we could go to that one store. You know, with all those clothes."

Natalya looked shy and reserved when she said this, but Katushya only smiled. "That's a great idea! I've been wanting to get you some cute clothes for a while now."

Natalya, still looking shy, followed her older siblings. They turned the block and came upon the very store. Natalya's eyes widened as she couldn't take them off the displays in the window. Two very beautiful black and white maid outfits dressed the mannequins in the window. "Oh, that's right. Graduation season is coming soon, isn't it?"

"Yes it is. Although sometimes they'll start selling maid costumes sooner. I'm not graduating until next year, but I was thinking about wearing a maid dress."

Katushya was broken away from her thoughts as she felt a tug on her Ukrainian-styled skirt. She smiled at her younger sister, who shyly averted her eyes. "What is it, dear?"

"U-Um, it's just...Do you think you can make me a maid dress when I graduate?"

Katushya smiled big. "Of course. I would be honored to."

Ivan nodded. "I bet it would make you look pretty."

Natalya blushed, hiding it in her scarf. Her older siblings started laughing joyously, and although she wouldn't admit it ever, Natalya smiled a little.

* * *

"Natalya? Natalya, are you alright?"

The Belarusian girl shook out of her thoughts, turning the blond girl next to her. "Oh, um, yes, I am fine."

Lili sighed. "You were spacing out for a while. Class is over, so we can leave now."

Natalya looked around and realized this was true. She took in a deep breath. "Are we still on for lunch?"

Lili smiled. "Of course. It's a sunny day outside, so I was thinking we could eat in the courtyard."

The two girls in their black formal school uniforms walked out into the hallway and towards the door to the outside. "So, I was wondering, since graduation is coming up, were you planning on wearing a maid outfit?"

Years of training had resulted in Natalya's perfectly stoic expression. She glanced at her best friend, her choice obvious. "No, I was just planning on wearing my uniform."

She didn't miss how Lili slightly frowned at that. "I see. Why not?"

Natalya shrugged. "I just don't want to. They're too girly for my taste."

Lili smiled sadly. "That's a shame. I'm sure you would look really pretty."

Natalya found herself blushing against her will. The thought of her in one of those frilly things was just too ridiculous, so why was she blushing? Turning away, Natalya moved along. "S-So, what about you? Will you be wearing one?"

Lili smiled a bit happier this time. "Yes, of course! Miss Elisabeta is making it for me. Although my big brother will have to approve first."

Natalya didn't say anything except, "Oh."

The talk had taken up some time, and the girls were already out the door. The two of them had sat on an empty bench and dug out their lunch. "So, what are you planning on doing for graduation?"

She shrugged. "I'm just going through the ceremony. After that, I'll go home and watch T.V."

Natalya took a bite of her Draniki and ate it. She turned to Lili, who was looking a her incredulously. "What?"

"You're kidding me, right? That's all?"

"Well, what else is there to do?"

"Gilbert was talking about some of us going on an overnight outing to the old house on Fairy Hill. He wanted to know if you would like to come."

Natalya slowly chewed, contemplating her thoughts. Once she swallowed, she looked down at the grass. "I-I don't know. I'll think about it, but I won't make any promises."

Lili smiled, albeit sadly. "You know, nobody's telling you that you can't do anything. If you really want to do something, then do it."

The bell rang in the distance. Both girls packed their lunches away and stood, beginning their walk back. "Just, think about what I said, okay?"

* * *

Feeling a deep sense of dread, Natalya closed the front door. Without stopping by the kitchen, she headed upstairs to her room. She tossed her bag to the side and crawled onto her bed.

She pulled the nearest stuffed animal to her, a black teddy bear with a bow in it's back, a crown on it's head, eyes without pupils and a scary but adorable face. Natalya felt a deep apprehension welling up within her. It was hard to believe that she had started high school only four years ago. Time really did fly, it seemed.

But this was just scary. Graduation was approaching, and that meant that it would all be over. Natalya wasn't really one for change. Yeah, it was scary when she transitioned from middle to high, but this was a whole other level. After High School, it was college, than jobs, and a transition like that was incredibly scary.

Although it wasn't like she didn't have a career choice in mind. She excelled in gymnastics and was thinking of becoming an acrobat for her occupation. Aside from graduation, there was one other thing that burdened her. Whether or not she would be wearing a maid dress.

In Russia, when a girl graduated high school, she had the option of wearing either a maid outfit or her school uniform. From the beginning, the answer was obvious. Of course Natalya would be going in her uniform. That was all she wanted. There was no way she'd be caught dead in one of those frilly girly things.

But that was just where the problem lied. She might have kinda sorta wanted to wear one, but there seemed to be something holding her back. In school, she had the reputation of being the mean, scary girl who intimidated everyone. In fact, it stayed that way till Middle School. But then one day, a Liechtensteinian girl asked if she wanted to be friends. And here she was today, an intimidating High School girl with a single friend. Although it wasn't so bad, as she cherished that friend.

Gently, she started stroking the bear. "I'm so mean, aren't I Ryk Ryk? Someone like me doesn't deserve to were something so girly."

She sighed. "And, well, pretty."

If her scary self went to school in a dress, it might as well be the end of her. Her reputation and personality wouldn't allow it. It merely wasn't in her character. But that wasn't to say that somewhere deep down, she didn't have a soft, sensitive, girly side to her.

It didn't matter, though. She couldn't let that side show to anyone other than those who earned it. And besides, she'd just look ridiculous. The point was that there were a million reasons why wearing a maid's dress was a bad idea. And a million other reasons why she wanted to all the more.


End file.
